Officially, the world was not introduced to Pokémon Winds and Waves until Feb. 27 — the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon brand as a whole. But plugged-in fans weren’t surprised by what Game Freak unveiled at Pokémon Presents, even if it was all technically new. That’s because nearly everything about the tenth generation of Pokémon games leaked months ago, in October 2025. The information breach was so massive, there are still new tidbits coming out in 2026 that appear to spoil what the Switch 2 exclusive has in store for fans next year.
To recap: In 2024, Game Freak suffered a data breach that contained all sorts of sensitive information, both about the studio and its upcoming games. Dubbed ‘gigaleak’ by the fans, the data trove included never-before-seen concept art, handwritten design documents, plans for unannounced games, and even budget breakdowns for Pokémon games.
The leak described a number of different games supposedly being considered by Game Freak, like an apparent remake of older games that mashes together multiple regions. But the most notable aspect of the leak was the materials referencing the next generation of Pokémon games. As described by the leak, the game almost seemed fantastical: a procedurally generated, possibly endless open-world survival experience. Based loosely on Indonesia and southeast Asia, the games would allow the player to explore like never before. The new region would offer islands, jungles and underwater regions. Special focus would be placed on the weather, which dictated both the legendaries and the special tech Game Freak was developing for the game. The leaks called this game Pokemon Winds and Waves, a moniker reinforced by two logos bearing the same name.
At the time, players took the leaks with a grain of salt. Historically, most modern Pokémon games have leaked ahead of their official reveals, so the possibility of history repeating itself wasn’t totally implausible. The leaks, which contained minutiae like water physics demos, were specific enough for believability. The social media accounts sharing the leaks also had a track record of accurate claims. But with the unpredictable nature of game development, and the internal nature of the documents, there was no guarantee the games would ever exist at all.
Now, months later, we know the truth: the leaks were legit. At least, the big-picture aspects of the Pokémon leak seem to be true. Pokémon Winds and Waves are indeed the 10th generation of games, and they do appear to focus on tropical wilderness exploration. The trailer did suggest a focus on weather elements. Many aspects described in the leak were not shown in the trailer, but the information was correct enough to make fans wonder if those details will eventually be confirmed with time. With so many of the leaked images now removed from the internet by copyright claims, it’s increasingly looking like the general shape of Pokémon Winds and Waves is a known quantity.
What’s extraordinary about all of this, though, is that the leaks did not stop in October 2025. What floated around then were the highlights, but the leak contained thousands of files that took time to sort through. Two weeks ago, someone on 4Chan described the Pokémon Winds and Waves starters in a roundabout, but uncannily accurate way. “Slimy, large bulbous tail, deep purple eyes, almost feminine,” the post claimed. “Thick green brow, little dark feet, almost like an angry baby. Puffy frontside, tongue constantly out.”
It’s been months, but fans have kept digging this entire time. A few weeks ago, fans collated every known picture in the leak that was attached to the then-theoretical Pokémon Winds and Waves. Many of these scenes were present in the final reveal trailer, giving credence to the possibility the rest will pan out as well. Files for Pokémon Winds and Waves were being still discovered as recently as February 2026. Some of these leaks will not be verified for a long while. There are pictures, for example, of what the entire map of Winds and Waves will look like. But if the map turns out to be correct, it may also disprove the claims of procedurally generated environments. The entirety of the Pokémon leak may not end up in the final game exactly as described.
Still, it’s bewildering to consider the scope of the leaks. One of the major reasons previous Pokémon games escaped containment early was piracy on the Switch, which hackers could leverage to peruse files before wide release. With Nintendo shifting its focus to Switch 2 development, it seemed possible that giant leaks of that sort would be a thing of the past. Now, it seems that the era of Pokémon leaks may be far from over.
